the sun is shining, we'll keep driving
by ninjasandbacon
Summary: They have one last day in the city and he's running around the loft, packing things into his suitcase, debating on whether or not he should print out driving instructions even when Serena insists he shouldn't.


**Set after 6x11, Dan says yes to the roadtrip.**

* * *

When she approaches him again, he can't help but take one look at her smile and say hugs him and he closes his eyes, losing himself in her. _Where exactly are we going? _He asks with a smile, hands remaining on her hips as she leans back from their hug.

She kisses him instead of replying, pressing her body against his, relishing in the warmth of him. They kiss and kiss and kiss until all she feels like doing is pushing Dan down onto the floor and suitably ruin Blair's carpet. But they're forced to separate when Blair enters the room, covers her eyes dramatically and forces them into the kitchen, on cleanup duty. Serena rolls her eyes, and Dan sends Blair a cheeky grin.

Blair watches from the counter as Dan and Serena wash and dry, sipping idly from her glass of champagne. She asks questions from time to time, the amount of time between questions shortening as the champagne bottle grows steadily emptier. Through Blair's questions, Dan learns that they're going to Maine for three weeks and he smiles at the thought of having Serena to himself for a blessed three weeks.

xx

She packs and goes back to the loft with him, her hand loosely entwined with his. They have one last day in the city and he's running around the loft, packing things into his suitcase, debating on whether or not he should print out driving instructions even when Serena insists he shouldn't. He sends Serena out to rent out a car and he's surprised when she comes back with a Jeep Wrangler.

_What were you expecting, a town car? _she laughs, pushing the keys into his hand. He shakes his head and laughs, pulling her close. He pushes her hair back from her face, cups her cheeks with his palm and dips his head to kiss her. She kisses him like she's never kissed him before; she kisses slowly, testing the waters, letting him lead. It's almost the same, but not quite. He breaks the kiss to look at her, to play with the hem of her dress. _7 hour drive, _she warns, _you'll want to have your energy._

_I'm sure we can do the driving in two days. _His hands skim her thighs and she trembles, resolve cracking. _Or three. _He grins as she looks down at his hands to track their movements and moans as his knuckle brushes against lace.

_Four sounds good too, _she murmurs as he trails kisses down her neck, her collarbone. She loses track of what she says, only vaguely registering that they've moved to the bedroom; her bare back is against Dan's sheets, his hands skimming over her slowly, his eyes following as if he's committing every single second, every single sound, every single look to memory.

Afterward, he makes sure that he doesn't let go of her for a second. She's sound asleep, curled up against him, her arm thrown over his chest, her head nestled on his shoulder. His arm is wrapped around her waist, bringing her closer still. He watches her sleep, smiles when she unconsciously brings herself closer to him. He kisses the top of her head and finally, lets himself drift off to sleep.

xx

He wakes up the next morning to find an eager Serena looming over him. He mumbles a greeting only to be returned by a kiss. He follows her into the shower and is pushed out when she realizes that they'll be delayed another day at the rate they're going. He makes breakfast while she sings in the shower and he really can't help but walk around with a goofy grin plastered to his face.

He's pouring orange juice into cups when she emerges from the bathroom, blonde hair twisted into a bun, green eyes twinkling and clad in only a towel. He finds himself staring at the water droplets on her shoulders, the flush of her cheeks. He manages to stammer something about breakfast and she giggles as he starts rambling.

She loves the effect she has on him, and presses a chaste kiss to his lips before sitting down and liberally applying syrup to her chocolate chip waffle. He regains his composure, sits down and starts eating. God knows the butterflies weren't helping his hunger any.

xx

As soon as they're out of New York, Serena turns the radio on. They flip through the stations, trying to sing along to every single one until they find one they can listen to. Dan can't get enough of her voice. _What's your favorite song? _She asks, fiddling with the tuner.

_The sound of your voice_, he says, turning briefly from the road to look at her. She's got her sunglasses on, her messy blonde hair splayed over her shoulders. She lowers her glasses and glares at him. _Look at you, all cute like._

Her cheeks flush, and her grin grows a little bigger at his compliment. Her heart's thudding in her chest, a reminder that no matter how much time has gone on, Dan Humphrey can still charm her. Before long, they decide to just plug in Serena's iPod and putting it on shuffle. Her favorite song comes on and she sings along, hitting the notes a little too high, but honestly, he doesn't care.

They drive and drive until rain sets in and its so foggy that he can't even see the roads anymore. _Let's stop_, she pleads with him. _I see a Holiday Inn. Please? I've never stayed in one._

He laughs and squeezes her hand. _Okay, but let me tell you, its nothing special. _He pulls in and tells her to stay in the car as he frees their luggage from the back of the car. He's not surprised when he finds her standing right next to him, their hips bumping as she insists on grabbing her luggage from him. _I told you to stay inside_, he raises his eyebrows at her. She rolls her eyes, grabs her bag and leads the way into the inn.

For some reason, despite their attempts, they end up in a suite. She pouts, murmuring something about roughing it as he drops their bags by the coffee table. He plops down on the bed, pulling her with him. _Baby, I think you talk too much sometimes._ He kisses her against the crisply made bed, smiles down at her like she's the most beautiful thing that's ever existed. _Hungry?_

_Always_, she smiles, hand sliding up to grasp his shirt collar, brushing against his neck. _Room service?_ He nods and plucks the menu from the bedside drawer. They end up ordering milkshakes, pizza, potato salad, and buffalo wings; food she's never really been allowed to have before. She settles in against his chest, feels his arms encircle her. She leans back, eyes closed, content. She feels a smile growing at the base of her neck and giggles as his lips tickle her skin. _Wouldn't it be nice if we could stay like this, always?_ She's thinking aloud, but a part of her (a big part) means it.

He takes her hand, kisses each of her knuckles, her palm. _Always and forever_, he murmurs. _Sound okay to you?_

She turns to look at him, jade eyes staring into brown. _No_, she says softly, _sounds _perfect_ to me._

xx

They're driving through a small town he's never even heard of when he hears the tire pop. He swears, voice low as to not disturb the sleeping girl in the passenger seat. Its raining and dark, but the streetlights are on and he's pretty sure that he can change the tire without waking Serena. He pulls over to the side of the road, pulls his hood up and clambers out of the car.

He's halfway done when her eyes start to flutter open. She wakes up, a bit scared when she realizes that the car is off, Dan is gone and that they're no longer moving. She opens the car door, only to have it come in contact with something. She watches in horror as she knocks Dan over, into the muddy road.

He coughs, stands and wipes the mud off his face. She murmurs an apology, cheeks red. He leans against the open car door and says, _What'd I tell you about staying inside, baby? _Reaching over her, he grabs the roll of paper towels and wipes off his face before pressing a kiss to her cheek. _I'm almost done. And then we can go find somewhere to stay._

_Let's stay in the car, _she murmurs, drawing him in for another kiss, not caring that he was soaked with rain. _Like they do in the movies._ Her voice is husky, sleep ridden and every nerve in his body is screaming at him to agree. And so he does.

He finishes the tire, parks the car somewhere a bit more off the road. _Its going to be cold,_ he warns, fishing a big comforter from the back of the car as she reclines the seats. She rolls her eyes (he should know by now that she doesn't care) and dumps the three pillows they stole from the Holiday Inn onto the seats. She curls up on the makeshift bed, wrapping the comforter around her frame, quietly watching him struggle out of his wet clothes into just a pair of sweatpants.

_Come here_, she says quietly. He obliges, tugs the blanket so that it covers them both. She curls into his arms, reveling in the warmth of him. _Can I ask you something?_ He nods, bringing her a little closer, nose buried in her blonde curls. _Why do you always believe in me? Even when I give you every reason not to, even when I hurt you?_

His lips curve into a soft smile and he leans back to look at her. _You know why_, his voice is smooth, soothing her every irrational fear. _You can hurt me a million times, Serena, but the __way I feel about you won't ever change. I love you._ He says it so carefully, so tenderly that she can't help but let a tear roll down her cheek. Its always that with Dan; she's sure that no one's loved her as intensely as he does. Not Nate, not Carter, not anyone. _I'm always going to love you. Always and forever._

_Forever_, she echoes. She scans his face, trying to memorize everything in this moment; she absorbs whatever she can – the smell of him, the way he's looking at her, the way those three words rolled off his tongue, the look on his face that tells her that he can keep on saying it for the rest of his life. _I love you too._

His smiles grow a little bigger, he cups her cheek and brings their lips together. He tries to pour the entirety of his feelings into that one kiss, tries to make her understand what she means to him. He kisses her and kisses her well into the night, falling asleep only from exhaustion.

xx

They wake to the light pitter-patter of rain as it falls from the sky and hits the car. _Good morning_, he whispers, brushing away a wisp of blonde hair from her face.

_Morning baby_, she murmurs back, pulling him in for a kiss. She pulls back, cheeks flushed with delight. _I love you._

He chuckles, pressing a kiss to her cheek. _I love you too, always._

_And forever_, she finishes, capturing his lips with hers just as the last of the rain clears up. _We've still got a long way to go._

He holds her gaze, hand coming forward and cupping her cheek. His thumb smooths against her cheek, and he smiles, feeling her blush. _I guess we'll have to keep driving then.

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